Sasquatch Moon (Vampire for Hire Book 26) Read online

  SASQUATCH MOON

  Vampire for Hire #26

  by

  J.R. RAIN

  The World of Samantha Moon

  VAMPIRE FOR HIRE SERIES

  Moon Dance

  Vampire Moon

  American Vampire

  Moon Child

  Christmas Moon (novella)

  Vampire Dawn

  Vampire Games

  Moon Island

  Moon River

  Vampire Sun

  Moon Dragon

  Moon Shadow

  Vampire Fire

  Midnight Moon

  Moon Angel

  Vampire Sire

  Moon Master

  Dead Moon

  Lost Moon

  Vampire Destiny

  Infinite Moon

  Vampire Empress

  Moon Elder

  Wicked Moon

  Winter Moon

  Moon Blade

  Sasquatch Moon

  Wild Moon

  Moon Magic

  SHORT STORY SINGLES

  Teeth: Fang’s Story

  Vampire Nights

  Vampire Blues

  Vampire Dreams

  Halloween Moon

  Vampire Gold

  Blue Moon

  Dark Side of the Moon

  Vampire Requiem

  Moon Love

  Vampire Alley

  Moon Musings

  Moon Beast

  Vampire Widow

  Moon Maze

  Silver Hammer

  When Sam Met Santa

  One Swallow

  Little Moon

  SAMANTHA MOON ADVENTURES

  Banshee Moon

  Moon Monster

  Moon Ripper

  Witch Moon

  Moon Goddess

  Moon Blaze

  Golem Moon

  Moon Maidens

  SAMANTHA MOON CASE FILES

  Moon Bayou

  Blood Moon

  Parallel Moon

  SAMANTHA MOON ORIGINS

  New Moon Rising

  Moon Mourning

  Haunted Moon

  SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

  Moon Tales

  Moon Shots

  Moon Cases

  Spin-off Series

  ALLISON LOPEZ

  The Witch and the Gentleman

  The Witch and the Englishman

  The Witch and Huntsman

  The Witch and the Wolfman

  The Witch and the Hangman

  ALEXIS SILVER

  Silver Light

  Deep Silver

  Silver Quarrel

  Silver Crucible

  Silver Heart

  J.R. Rain’s Vampire for Hire World

  STANDALONE TALES

  Fire Warrior

  Fang

  I, Samantha Moon

  Vampires She Wrote

  Dragon Lessons

  Dead Ahead

  Wolf Moon

  Crystal Moon

  Vampire Apocalypse

  CHRONICLES OF THE IMMORTAL COUNCIL

  Vampire Abduction

  Vampire Exodus

  Vampire Sovereign

  Vampire Magic

  Vampire Vacation

  Vampire Reflections

  Vampire Enigma

  Vampire Spirit

  Vampire Regent

  Vampire Intuition

  VAMPIRE CRIMES SPECIAL UNIT

  Moon Hunt

  Moon Gone

  Moon Crimes

  Moon Castle

  BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE

  Burning

  Afterglow

  Radiance

  SAMANTHA MOON, GUARDIAN VAMPIRE

  Twisted Sister

  Harvest Moon

  Moonbow

  Sasquatch Moon

  Published by Rain Press

  Copyright © 2022 by J.R. Rain

  All rights reserved.

  Ebook Edition, License Notes.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. All rights reserved.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Reading Sample: Gypsy Magic

  About J.R. Rain

  Sasquatch Moon

  Chapter One

  “Okay, everyone’s gone now, ma. It’s just me and you for the next few hours. Now, for the love of all that which is holy, will you please tell me your Bigfoot story?”

  “My Bigfoots story. There were two of them. Hmm. Would that be Bigfeet, then?”

  “It’s Bigfoot. Always Bigfoot. I’ve told you this before.”

  “Hmm, okay. And Bigfoot is always capitalized?”

  “Yes!”

  “The way God is always capitalized?”

  “Geez, I don’t know, ma! Will you please please please tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t know... it’s a really long story.”

  “I know it is! You keep saying that! It’s been, what, almost a year now? I will seriously lose my mind if you don’t tell me what happened. You know how much I love Bigfoot.”

  “Well, we did all fight some Yetis recently,” I say, mentioning a recent run-in with the creatures. “And those are kinda like Sasquatches.”

  “Yes, but those Yeti weren’t real. In fact, they might not even be what actual Yetis look like, but rather what that diabolist guy thought they looked like. I want to hear real stories about real Sasquatch!”

  I take in some air, check a watch I’m not wearing. Poor Anthony. He’d been away at Light Warrior school and hadn’t been there the day we saved the Sasquatch. Ever since, he’d been hearing snatches of the story from me and the others. Sure, we could have all told him about it... and we nearly did a dozen or more times. But his pure, unadulterated need—nay, hunger—to hear the story kept the running gag going.

  My son loves all things: Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Apeman, Yeti, Skunk Ape, Grassman, Yowie, Wendigo, Orang Pendek, Gigantopithecus, Mini Kong, or the Great Grape Ape... you name it. I prefer to call him the ‘hairy fella.’ Then again, I call Kingsley that, too. Then again again, once a month, Kingsley doesn’t look too far off from a Bigfoot himself.

  So. Much. Hair.

  Anyway, despite being surrounded by the supernatural 24/7, my son has a thing for Bigfoot, perhaps because he’s the most elusive creature of us all. Perhaps because, even among immortals, Bigfoot is nothing more than a myth. Well, had been a myth.

  “Okay,” I say. “I’ll tell you the story.”

  “Finally!” He sits in the nook of our comfy u-shaped couch and settles in.

  “But first I’ll need a Diet Coke.”

>   “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.”

  “But I just settled in.”

  “That was a premature settling,” I say. “It’s a long story, and mama’s thirsty.”

  “Fine!” he huffs. He stands in one fluid motion... a motion that almost seems supernatural. Of course, with Anthony, it very well might be. “But when I return with the Diet Coke—”

  “In a tall glass with ice.”

  “In a glass—”

  “Tall glass.”

  “In a tall glass with ice.... I expect to be thoroughly entertained by all things Squatch.”

  “I think you will be, but no promises.”

  He pauses and does that two fingers to the eyes thing soldiers do in the field of battle; meaning, he’s watching me. In the kitchen, I hear him cracking open a can of the good stuff. He returns a moment later with the fizzling elixir, hands it to me.

  “Anything else?” he asks, pausing with his butt hovering over the couch.

  “Nope, that’s it.”

  “I can sit down and get comfortable?”

  “Please do.”

  He does so as I take a number of sips from the glass and set it on a coaster on the coffee table. I sit back as well.

  “You ready?”

  “I’ve been ready!” he snaps, then catches himself, lowers his voice. “Yes, I’m ready. Please.”

  “Okay,” I say. “As you know, this took place last year, back when you were in school.”

  “That’s when you still had the Devil Killer and your telepathy, right?”

  “Right,” I say. “And a good thing, too.”

  “Because Bigfoot speaks telepathically.”

  “You know your hairy brothers,” I say. I take another sip, and before Anthony loses his mind, I begin the story. “It all started when a client came to see me with a very, very unusual request...”

  Chapter Two

  “Say again?”

  “I’m putting together a team of researchers to look for Bigfoot, and I want you to join us.”

  “But I’m a private investigator,” I say.

  The man sitting across my kitchen table sits back in the straight-back wooden chair. It creaks. Maybe even pops. These chairs are old. So is the table. The kids grew up with this set. Might be time to upgrade, especially if I continue using my kitchen as my office. Long story. I adopted a kid. She now sleeps where I used to work. Okay, maybe not such a long story. Anthony’s room is available, of course, but he’s coming back from school in a few days. So, yeah... not taking over that room just yet. Or ever. I like it just the way it is. A sort of shrine, even though my kid is alive and well... and presently at Light Warrior school.

  In the center of the Earth. Or damn near close to the center. Inner Earth, they call it.

  Okay, now that is a long story.

  “How did you get my name?” I ask.

  “I’m local. Found it online. Organizing the majority of the team here in Orange County. Will hire some guides up north, of course.”

  “How far up north?”

  “Olympic Peninsula. Site of most Bigfoot sightings.”

  “Of course it is. Why did you pick me?”

  “Your ad. You list all the usual services but also added, at the end, a specialization in the unknown. Read your Yelp reviews, too. Appears you’ve helped on one or two paranormal cases.” He shrugs. “I dunno, you kinda sounded perfect. But I understand if this is too out there. Or too unknown, even for you.”

  “But why a private eye?” I ask. Truth is, I could get a lot of this information from the man’s thoughts, but I always see that as cheating. Why steal the info, when I can have a legitimate conversation with another person? Trust me, when I need info—and need it fast—I take what I want. This isn’t one of those situations.

  “As I said, I’m assembling a team of researchers... but most of them aren’t actual investigators. They’re Bigfoot enthusiasts, to put it mildly. They tend to see Bigfoot in everything... from smells to growls to whistles. I want someone who can actually help puzzle the evidence together—the clues—into the kind of narrative we need to actually find these things.”

  “Wouldn’t a hunter or tracker be better equipped?”

  “Sure, but most Bigfoot hunting expeditions employ such trackers—and we will, too, make no mistake. I’m trying to think outside the box here. I asked myself... who else is an expert at finding people who are hard to find... or don’t want to be found? I settled on private eyes.”

  “You do realize my best resource is the internet, right? I doubt Bigfoot has a Facebook page.”

  He chuckles and opens his hands. “Hey, I get it. It’s a shot in the dark. I’m just trying to figure out how the hell to finally, definitively capture evidence of this thing. The job pays well, including all expenses and a nice bonus if we do find him, but if you don’t think you are a good fit for my team, I get it. It’s a weird request... or job offer. But I can tell you one thing. It’s gonna be a hell of a lot of fun. That should count for something.”

  “Hmm,” I say, and steeple my fingers. I’m getting earnest optimism from him, eagerness to get to the truth. He’s legit, and the job is legit. “How long is the expedition?”

  “Two weeks. We have the best of everything. Off-road vehicles, drones, tents, primate musk, camping gear, on-site chem labs, and the newest tech on the market. Trust me, nothing will be able to hide from us in the dark.”

  I smile. “You don’t say?”

  “Most important, we’re utilizing artificial technology that monitors sightings coming in from the field, comparing such reports to past reports, times of year, probable migration patterns, you name it. I mean, we have cutting edge A.I. helping us predict where these suckers are. And when we find them, I’m going to capture it and show it to the world.”

  “Capture it, eh?”

  “I know, I know. I’m sounding like one of them.”

  “Them?”

  “Bigfoot nerds—especially those already on the team. They talk like finding this thing is a done deal. Like one of them is gonna walk up to our camp and say howdy.”

  I smile at the imagery. “You’re not convinced?”

  “Not quite. I’m just missing that one bit of definitive evidence, you know?”

  I nod to be agreeable. Not sure what to think, truth be told.

  “And yeah, I recognize I sound like a crazy person, but I will say this much... never has a more equipped team gone into the field in search of Sasquatch. We have a backer who’s invested hundreds of thousands into this. Hell, maybe even a million or two. And he wants answers, and so do I. We all do.”

  “Who’s the backer?”

  “A silent backer. An anonymous backer. He’s rich, and if you take the job, I can and will pay you in advance.”

  “We call it a retainer in my business.”

  “Sure, whatever. Look, my backer wants the best. From what I can tell, you are highly regarded. That’s good enough for me. Plus, you’re not laughing me out of your house, so I think you’re sympathetic to the cause.”

  “The cause being?”

  “The search for monsters.”

  I smile. “Sympathetic indeed. Tell me more.”

  “There will be camping. But let me assure you, you will have your own tent, and it will be of the highest quality. Some might even call it a luxury tent. Also, I’ve vetted everyone on the team. No one has a criminal history. Well, except for the hunter I hired. He did have an incident a few years ago where he, ah...”

  “He, ah, what?”

  “Busted up an entire bar. Put a bunch of bikers in the hospital. And, ah...”

  I see it in his mind easy enough. “Burned the bar down, too?”

  “Yeah, how did you...”

  “Lucky guess.”

  “But let me assure you, he’s a sweetheart to anyone not trying to break his nose. Those bikers had it coming, according to him. Plus, he served his time.”

  “Sounds like a real peach.”

/>   “He really is. Plus, he’ll keep us safe. He will be the only one of us with live ammo.”

  “And how do you, ah, plan on catching the hairy one?”

  “Oh, I have a few ideas... been working on the mechanics of it all summer. If you really want to know, I can go into it...”

  I see it in his mind. Strangely, it involves lots of rubber and helium. If I have to guess, he intends to capture it in a sort of balloon trap... and float it out of the jungle. Okay, wow. Maybe he really is crazy.

  “No, I’m good,” I say. “Surprise me.”

  “So, you’re in?”

  I lean back, study him, consider how much Anthony would have loved to be a part of this, then nod.

  “I’m in.”

  Chapter Three

  “Why’s Bigfoot so hard to believe?” I ask.

  Kingsley cocks his head, looks at me from behind his goblet of wine, chuckles. “I don’t know... but somehow it seems ‘out there’, even for us.”

  “But we’re out there, too. I was a legit blood vampire. You’re a flippin’ shapeshifter. Once a month, you’re as big and harry as any Bigfoot.”

  “Exactly,” says Kingsley. “Once a month. Not perpetually.”

  “Are you really suggesting you’re less supernatural than Bigfoot?” I ask.

  “Actually, I’m suggesting I’m more likely to exist than Bigfoot because...” And here he sweeps his hands downward, indicating all of his hulking physical mass. “Because here I am. Proof positive.”

  “To me and you, yes. But to the outside world, a werewolf is just as unlikely.”

  “Perhaps,” says Kingsley. “But I can promise you this: more people have seen werewolves than Bigfoot. I could go to a grocery store right now, and thirty people will have laid eyes on an honest-to-God, sexy-as-hell werewolf. Pretty sure Bigfoot can’t say that.”

  “Except people at the grocery store don’t know they’re looking at a werewolf. They would damn well know if they were looking at a Bigfoot. What’s your point?”

  “My point is... werewolves actually exist. Bigfoot, not so much. And you’re going to let the sexy-as-hell comment slide?”

  I pat his meaty knee. “You’re adorable—” He opens his mouth to protest. “And sexy as hell... well, to those who like their men massive and furry.”